


Game Changer

by AwatereJones



Series: Holmes Verse [2]
Category: Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms, Torchwood
Genre: Flash-backs, M/M, Secrets, Smut, playful
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-25
Updated: 2016-02-08
Packaged: 2018-05-16 06:03:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 6,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5816950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AwatereJones/pseuds/AwatereJones
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>So, you think you know him now? </p><p>The oldest Holmes boy still has his secrets, he now has a certain Captain entranced and as they bond he is drawn like a moth to a flame ... with love comes trust, he gives Jack another piece of his heart as he relinquishes the secret Jack really didn't see coming.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Morning After the Game Before

The sex had been more than fulfilling, with needy hands and rough teeth.

Ianto had held Jack all night, sliding out at dawn to return to the cell and Jack made a mental note to ask how.

The alarms announced Owen's early arrival and Jack couldn't help but show his surprise as Owen headed straight for him.

"How is your head this morning?" Owen started straight in.

"Fine, thank you" Jack smiled reassuringly.

"Good, I'm just gonna check the t-boy, have you heard from him yet?" Owen asked as he reached for his medical kit on his workstation.

"No, I think he's still sleeping, the poor bugger" Jack sighed.

Owen nodded and headed down to the cells as the alarms sounded again.

Toshiko, as prompt as always, slid in and looked around expectantly.

"Still asleep, Owen went to check on him" Jack smiled and she nodded, moving to her workstation and keying up the CCTV of the cells.

Ianto was crying as Owen comforted him, gently patting his back as he offered him a water bottle.

"Oh Owen!" the Welsh vowels came through the tinny speakers, "I'm such a fool!"

"Don't be silly. We are just all so sorry we couldn't do anything. A real fighter, right to the end. She must have been an amazing woman" Owen crooned and Ianto nodded and looked at Owen hopefully. "Maybe just one more day."

"She didn't suffer, did she?" he whimpered, "I can't … I don't seem to remember … I …"

"Selective amnesia. Not uncommon after such a horrible shock" Owen soothed, "Finding her passed on like that when you were so close. That little Asian fucker did have a bug up his butt when we met him at the airport and turned him around but we weren't going to let him touch her. Not now."

Ianto broke down, leaning against Owen and Tosh made a small noise of sympathy.

Gwen stormed in and slammed down her handbag, then looked over at the screen.

Ianto was really sobbing now, Owen crooning as he rocked him and Jack sighed, walking down to join the game.

"Hey" he said as he entered the cell and Ianto looked up with horror.

"Oh sir, please, don't look at me!" Ianto wailed, "I'm so disgusting. Please, I've let you down, let everyone down. Oh god, I let her down … I am a failure."

Jack sat and pulled Ianto from Owen's arms and into his own, crooning as he engulfed Ianto.

He felt the soft sigh as Ianto nuzzled into his neck and repressed a grin.

_Little bugger was enjoying this!_

"Owen, Gwen's here. How about you get everyone together in the meeting room and we'll have our morning meeting as soon as Ianto here is ready" Jack said softly with a meaningful look.

"Yeah, yeah. Right" Owen pulled his pants up higher and nodded.

As Owen left Jack felt the faint kiss on his neck and turned his head to block the camera as Ianto licked his neck and hummed.

"Stop it, you minx" Jack hissed and Ianto snorted.

Jack was enjoying this too.


	2. dirty Pillows

Things returned to some sort of normalcy.

To Jack's delight, the team made the decision that Ianto should be allowed home to his own flat. Ianto worried about this and said so.

"I don't know if I should be on my own, is there not some protocol that I be under observation?" Ianto asked with big puppy dog eyes, "Sir?"

"It's OK Ianto, you're not in trouble" Jack soothed.

"No Pet, you did nothing wrong" Gwen agreed.

"But I … I mean … the nightmares aren't so bad with you guys around … I …. Oh dear" Ianto looked stricken and Gwen crooned as she crushed his head into her breasts.

"What if I come home with you!" Jack offered gently, "I'll sleep in the spare room. I'll be right there if you wake up in the night."

"Oh sir, would you?" Jack thought maybe it was being laid on a bit thick but when he looked up even Owen looked sorry for the boy.

"Good on ya!" Owen huffed, slapping Jack's shoulder awkwardly, "Would that help buddy?"

"Oh Sir!" Ianto sighed, tear filled eyes looking up, "I don't deserve such good care!"

"Rubbish!" Tosh entered the conversation, "We're a team and we all need help sometimes! I propose a movie night and we all bring food. What do you say, the rift is quiet for the next few days?"

"Oh you guys are just so good to me" Ianto sobbed, "I felt so alone at T1, they made me feel more like an inmate! My little cell was so lonely and cold. No cuddles there."

Jack looked away before he laughed, cheeky monkey was telling them and they were totally missing it.

"Ianto, mate. You are one of us, thick or thin!" Owen blustered and Ianto frowned.

"Gwen is just wearing a bulky sweater Owen; I can assure you what I just felt was all woman and quite lithe!" Ianto said haughtily and everyone laughed as he blushed, "Oh sorry Gwen … I didn't mean … I mean … you feel so lovely and soft ... I … oh dear."

He was allowed another 'dirty pillow' hug and peeked at Jack cheekily, winking.

"Right. We're all agreed. Movie night and I stay over!" Jack said calmly and then made a show of going to pack an overnight bag.

"You guys are the best" Ianto simpered, "I am so lucky."

"We are too, Ianto" Tosh said softly, "We are lucky to work with you."

"Oh my goodness! What movie" Ianto brightened, "Bond?"

"Look mate, we all know your love of all things Bond but we have to entertain the womenfolk as well!" Owen said softly.

"Oh. Um. A classic? Or something new?" Ianto looked so childlike and eager that Gwen melted.

"Oh pet, why don't you surprise us!" she said as she rubbed his shoulder.

"Oh, goodness. I need to get some finger foods!" Ianto fluffed, reaching for a pen and paper, "Oh! Popcorn. Owen likes popcorn!"

They all looked like proud parents as he looked up, wide eyes and smiling.

Jack shook his head as he marvelled at the moxie.


	3. movie night

Ianto chose Star Wars – New Hope and showed surprise when Owen crowed and danced around.

"I like Star Wars" Ianto agreed, "Han Solo was such a bad arse!"

"Was he what!" Owen agreed excitedly.

"I have eats, drink and even some blankets so we can snuggle … oh, only if you want, I didn't' …."

Jack gaped as both women rushed over to crush Ianto and he happily offered the remotes to Owen, who puffed like a bantam roster.

After the movie, they all awed at the sleeping Welshman, cuddled against Gwen's bosom and she kissed his forehead lovingly as she slid out from under him.

"Another movie tomorrow night if the rift allows?" Jack sais as they filed out, "I think you guys are really helping him. He seemed so settled."

"Cool! We might get through the box set at this rate" Owen said with glee.

"Night Jack" Tosh tiptoed to kiss his cheek and then he closed the door.

He turned to receive an armful of Holmes, sniggering as he rubbed against him.

"God, she smells good, but not as good as you!" Ianto moaned.

"You, Mr Holmes, are shameless!" Jack growled as he leaned in for a kiss.

"Did you see Owen try to cop a feel when he helped Gwen get out from under me?" Ianto giggled.

"I saw her kissing you again" Jack pouted.

"Aw, Boe! You know I like the game but let's do that later?" the English voice was quite delicious too, "I would much rather explore some … other things."

"Cheeky" Jack panted.

A knock on the door made Ianto groan and he pulled back, Jack watching as his posture changed and shrunk.

"Yes?" he called out in a weak voice.

"Mr Jones?" the voice was elderly and Ianto relaxed.

"Mrs Winters" Ianto opened the door and peeked out at the elderly lady.

"Hello dear, did you have a wee party?"

"Movie night!" Ianto gushed, "We watched the original Star Wars. It was awesome but we have work tomorrow so they had to go home."

"Oh, maybe at the weekend you could have a sleepover darling" she soothed, reaching out with a cat in her arms.

"I need to go to Ralph's for the youngest's christening, you don't mind do you?"

"Of course not, hello Monster" Ianto crooned as he took the cat and she smiled as she shuffled back.

"Should be back Friday dear"

"Oh don't hurry, you know we love each other" Ianto gushed.

He closed the door and turned to Jack with a grimace, "For future reference. I'm allergic to these!"

"Oh, so you don't like them?"

"No, that's the problem" Ianto sighed, "I actually do."


	4. "they?"

Jack had enjoyed the willing body the night before and tonight was no exception.

Ford was a skilled and attentive lover, taking Jack to that happy place he always sought with the right person.

Their combined scents in the room made for heady sex with grunts, hissing and even a low growl as Ford bit savagely into Jack's shoulder as he came between them, Jack pumping into him with his own cry of triumph.

It wasn't until later, in the comfort of the dark that Jack controlled his deep breathing to feign sleep as he went over the events of the last few days.

This had happened suddenly. Ianto/Ford - light and dark contrasts.

_Was he still being played?_

Ford lay in the dark and controlled his deep breathing as he listened to Jack, feeling the twitch of his toes, sensing the chewing of his bottom lip as he thought.

What was Jack thinking?

Was it about him?

Ford wondered for some time but the last few days caught up with them both and they slept.

Jack was aware of minute shaking of the bed.

Then a sigh and moan as Ford rolled his head.

Jack reached for the light and rolled to face him.

"Ianto" Jack shook him gently and was rewarded with a solid haymaker that threw him from the bed as Ford screamed.

Jesus!

Jack crawled back in the bed and felt his jaw knitting back together as he tried again, this time shaking him until he saw those baby blues wildly searching the room.

They settled on him and slowly focused as his panting became breathing gain.

"Hey" Jack said softly, pulling him into his arms.

"Sorry" he whimpered, "I didn't mean that."

"Well I would say you hit like a girl but we both know you hit like a Mack truck!" Jack huffed and was relieved when the body in his arms relaxed.

"We were hiding again" came a soft whisper, "In the dark. I fucking hate the dark, maybe where the claustrophobia came from."

"How old were you?" Jack tried to focus him.

"I was sixteen, Crofty was about eight, I think." He sighed, "So long ago. Sherlock was … I don't remember, two? Three? He was grizzling, gave us away."

"What happened" Jack rubbed his back gently.

"They found us, of course" Ianto huffed, pulling away and straightening his shoulders as he looked out into the room.

Subject closed.

Jack couldn't help but wonder … who were 'they'?


	5. real? or Game?

Jack woke to an empty bed.

Damn it, he was using his technique of avoidance again.

It was early and he wandered out as he smelt coffee brewing. He found fresh coffee by the machine and carried his cup through to the living room. Ianto was sitting watching the sunrise, the sofa pulled over to the windows.

"Hey" Jack said softly, settling in the cushions.

Waiting.

"Intruders" Ianto said softly, "We were taught, you run and hide but a drill and the real thing are so different, at the time."

"They were after you?" Jack asked.

"No. Yes. No." Ianto frowned, "They knew it was someone in the block, but not who" he turned and faced Jack.

"Someone who did what?" Jack leaned back and took a sip.

"Someone who had hacked into the government servers and wiped the records of several covert operatives" Ianto shrugged.

"And they thought it was your house?"

"Well …" Ford winked and Jack suddenly remembered a horse of an entirely different colour was taunting him.

"By the Goddess, why did you do that?" Jack hissed.

"Mycroft was in a spot of bother and the only way out was a wee bit of work for someone, I shouldn't be telling you but … I want to. I want you to understand that my irrational fear of small spaces comes from the fucking crawl space we hid in for almost five hours before they ripped up the floor boards and found us."

"At eight? He was fucking things up that young? So … what did they do?"

"We put on an epic performance of having been stuck while playing hide-n-seek and were so scared." He snorted, "They were so taken with little Locky's sobbing that it never occurred to them that all three of us were down there so no one was actually seeking. Bloody fools"

"Seriously?"

"Well, they were Unit Boe, not half as suspicious as us" Ford snorted, then sobered again.

"So even then you were cleaning up Mycroft's mess by throwing yourself on his bombs?" Jack asked with sorrow.

"He was my brother."

"Was?"

"When he sold me to Torchwood and walked away, like I was a bloody piece of livestock." Ford looked away, "Fucker didn't even blink."

Jack wondered if this was a story or real.

Sickeningly, he believed him.


	6. Tosh

Jack spent the next morning sitting at his desk, quietly trolling for the brothers Holmes.

Sherlock did get around.

Mycroft? Well, there was another weasel alright.

Jack saw no similarities between Ianto and Mycroft, bar their piercing stare but the more he learnt about Sherlock, the more he saw the conditioning and training Ianto had placed in the child he had loved so much.

Did Sherlock know his brother was alive?

Tosh had been running a new program and decided to run a system clean, surprised to find Jack trolling. Curious, she peeked.

Ianto?

She frowned as she started to backtrack Jack's activity and found something she never thought she would see. His T1 file and she gleefully clicked into the forgotten backup server expecting to see his entrance assessments.

She was looking forward to finally seeing if his IQ was as high as she thought.

She expected to see a standard staff file.

She did not expect a file similar to her's at Unit.

A captive.

A subject for study.

She felt her heart pounding as she shakily tried to click out of the many windows and escape the briar patch she had just found herself in.

_Oh god._

She hoped those little noises were too quiet for anyone else to hear as she covered her tracks and opened many other servers and files to create false trails.

Finally satisfied that she couldn't be found, even a ghost of her, she sat back and breathed deeply as she demanded her heart to calm the fuck down.

A cup of green tea was a complete surprise, as was the soft hand holding her in the chair so it looked to the world like Ianto was just providing his usual afternoon gift.

"I always knew it would be you" Ianto said softly as he straightened up and looked down and she was struck with the sorrow on his face.

"How I feared it, how I hoped … well. Really, I always knew." Ianto looked past her and she watched as his eyes tracked to the left, then back to her.

"Don't tell Jack that you know" he finally said, "He might not be as calm."

"what was that. I mean …"

"It was exactly what it looked like. I was one of their guests." Ianto looked deep into her eyes.

As he walked away she swallowed down the urge to vomit.

It didn't make sense.


	7. truth?

Toshiko found Ianto down in his beloved archives, sitting at a small desk staring into space.

"Ianto?" she said softly and he turned to face her.

"Sit down" he said softly and she sat.

"I was … well. You saw. I was an experiment gone wrong. Jack knows and has forgiven my ... unique set of circumstances." Ianto canted his head, "After all, he forgave yours as well."

She nodded, "But the dates don't add up."

"No" Ianto said calmly, "I was changed. Altered. I don't know if I am ageing slowly or not at all. You saw my date of birth; it was not a typo."

"Oh Ianto" she sighed.

"Please, just let it be" he begged, "Let it lay."

After a moment, she nodded and left.

Jack stepped out from behind the door and looked at Ianto long and hard.

"Why not just tell her the truth" Jack asked softly.

"Which one?" Ford whispered back as he rose and approached, pulling Jack into a kiss.

"A redirection, an avoidance and a definite shut down!" Jack panted, "But Gods, in the nicest possible way."

"When I'm ready, I'll tell. Please Cariad, not yet. I … it's not that I don't trust you, I just… it's so engrained in me to lie, to conceal. It physically aches when I give way another piece of myself." Ford placed his forehead against Jack's. "I never thought I would trust enough to give what I have."

"I could have killed you" Jack whispered.

"Perhaps you should have" Ford snorted as he stroked Jack's face with his elegant fingers.

"You are too rare, already too real to me" Jack said calmly. "This is not a lie; you do not hide here."

"No. Not from you my darling" Ford sighed, "God. You are something I never thought I could have."

"Really?"

"You think this is part of the game?" Ford whispered.

"Ford, I think we stopped playing the game with each other some conversations ago" Jack smiled softly.

"I know"

"Maybe one day you can stop playing with the apes out there" Jack said gently as he held Ford in his arms.

"Maybe. When I trust my own words to be the truth" Ford straightened and Jack found that they were the same height, Ford was much taller than the Ianto mask.

"Until then, I will trust you" Jack assured him, "I will wait and trust, one day you will trust yourself as much as I do, then you can trust your voice to be true."

"I worry" Ford looked up at the ceiling, at where Gwen's workstation sat, "I worry about their responses to my … uniqueness."

"I would worry if there isn't a response" Jack huffed, "I taught them better than that!"

Ford grinned and canted his head in a 'Ianto' way, "I don't know what you taught them at all, I think we have all muddled along with false bravado and big guns."

"Works for me!" Jack leered.

Ford laughed as he agreed.

Definitely.


	8. memory is a cruel mistress

It was dark, cold and bloody raining.

Why was it always raining?

Why did bad things happen in the dark?

Ford pulled Sherlock closer as he slipped in the mud and they whimpered as they felt the claws of fear ripping at their gut.

Mycroft was up ahead, the silhouette loomed as he peered out of the vegetation, stark in the lightning strike nearby and Ford hissed a warning, almost too late.

They huddled, wet and cold in the dark as their pursuers walked around, blindly seeking their prey.

Mycroft looked at Ford, showing the whites as his eyes as he tried to remain calm and Ford visibly took a deep breath in, knowing the other two would copy automatically.

He motioned for Mycroft to take Sherlock and change places which he eagerly did, cuddling in the small nest Ford had made of leaves and branches that now protected them from the danger not ten feet away.

Sure they could smell them, Ford had made sure they were well coated in the mire, stinking of the swamp.

There were three of them and Ford was not sure if he could do it.

Two sure but three?

He looked back at his brothers and knew they saw it too, these fuckers were so big and he was just a teenager.

He hesitated, then leaned in to kiss his baby brother's cheek in an uncharacteristic display of affection.

Then he was gone and Mycroft grabbed at air as he tried to stop him.

Ford exploded from the hidey hole and attacked the first one, the snap of the broken neck loud in the silent drizzle and the other two turned.

Their elongated faces were lit by another lightning strike and the teeth were so long … so sharp.

.

.

.

He woke with a scream strangling him and he rolled to the edge of the bed.

He looked at the nightstand and saw the time was 12:20.

His brother used to call it the witching hour.

He bolted from the bed, heading for the bathroom and he barely made it before emptying his gut.

He slid to the floor and found himself shaking as the long ago memory of that night from hell tortured him.

The first time he had felt fear.

Real fear.

Not for himself, but for another.

He thought of his brother and the noise he had made as one of those things had slashed at his arm with their claws.

Sherlock retched again, sobbing as memories of Ford assaulted him in a way no weevil ever could.

His big brother.

How could Mycroft do that to him.

With Da already slaughtered, Ford was Alpha and Mycroft had sold him out, sacrificed him to protect them.

The way Ford had slumped when he realized what Mycroft was doing, the way he had just accepted it.

That was what burned.


	9. how many ... whos?

He had no choice.

Mycroft was obviously terrified and his lips were peeled back from his teeth as he looked up at Ford, his fingers white at the knuckle as he clutched their baby brother.

He had no choice.

Da had not died well, quickly or with any grace.

His screams had echoed as they ran and the howl of their mother spurred them on.

She had never made that noise before.

There were three of them, he could take three.

Right?

Da had taken down five of them before falling.

Ford exploded from the hidey hole and attacked the first one, the snap of the broken neck loud in the silent drizzle and the other two turned.

Their elongated faces were lit by another lightning strike and the teeth were so long … so sharp.

He looked on with pride as they advanced.

.

.

.

Ford woke with a start and frowned into the dark, then rolled his head to look at the clock.

12.20.

_The witching hour._

He sighed as he looked over at Jack, gorgeous, even in repose.

Ianto slid out and padded to the bathroom where he relieved himself as he stared vacantly into space.

_What had that been?_

He was sure it was a dream but his memories were usually so controlled, a blip of some sort but …

He closed his eyes and swore softly as he finally caught on and he wondered if they would ever fade enough.

These bloody ties to his brothers.

As Alpha, he felt their pain, fear and anger.

The last two were not common, their kind being so good at repressing those pesky feels.

Pain, however … well that one was hard to swallow down.

To have felt fear so strong that he could smell it in the flat, proving that the brother responsible must have been dreaming of him.

The fear projected to his own desire to fight.

To protect.

Fear.

Of Them.


	10. don't call me that

Jack woke to a lonely bed and he padded out into the living room.

God, what a pokey little flat, almost like a bloody rabbit warren with the curved hallway and many doors that let to equally pokey rooms.

It was like some sort of maze.

Almost like the old foxholes Jack remembered from the war.

Jack was pleased that his memory served him well and he found Ford humming softly as he prepared breakfast.

The plates of bacon and eggs were lovely and totally called for.

Ford's bacon being almost raw was a surprise though, he sort of thought Ianto was a burnt toast kinda guy.

"I like the fresh taste" Ford explained, as if reading Jack's mind and Jack grinned as he saw how different the two personalities were.

"I like 'fresh' too" Jack leered and Ford laughed in that deep boom that Jack found so fuckable.

They travelled into the hub and as the lift descended Jack watched with interest as Ford shrunk into himself and became frail.

"Hello Pet" Gwen cooed when she saw him and Ianto blinked owlishly as he offered a small smile in return.

"Oh Ianto, love" she sighed, "You have a lovely smile."

"Thank you Gwen" Ianto whispered as he reached, shakingly for her mug, "Good friends do bring it out."

Gwen looked over at Tosh and they shared a 'look' that made Owen's sigh louder somehow.

"Good morning Owen" Ianto turned and showed him the little smile.

"Hey mate, you want …"

"Please don't call me that" Ianto grimaced, "Please. Buddy, pal, dude, even settle for bro, but please … not mate. Lisa, she … when we were being silly we …. Er."

Ianto made a show of shrinking more and looking furtively at Jack.

Jack caught a small flare in his eyes, stepping forward to look closer as the anger seemed to fade as quickly as it appeared.

"We understand completely," Jack said calmly, not understanding at all.

"Yeah, yeah sorry … ah … Bud?" Owen tried.

Ianto reemployed the small smile.

Everyone sighed and relaxed as Ianto brushed past Jack and headed for the archives.

To everyone else, it looked like he was going to cry somewhere unobserved and they really felt for him.

For Jack, it was just an epic effort not to show his glee as the hand brushed against his crotch and then pressed in quite a deliberate way.

Jack cleared his throat and demanded they got to work and give Ianto a little time.

Then he slunk after him.


	11. mate

Ford slammed Jack against the shelves, causing several artefacts to rock with the impact and Jack grunted as the lips on his neck started to peel back, allowing gentle nips.

Jack groaned and felt his knees buckling with the overload of pleasure as his trousers fell to the floor.

He gripped the shelf and let his head fall forward against them as Ianto rubbed his crotch against Jacks' wanton butt cheeks.

Ford's nose was cold as it nuzzled behind his ear and Jack grinned as his 51st Century scent filled the enclosed space.

Then he was roughly pulled back to present his arse.

Jack whimpered as he felt a finger breach him and Ford hummed as he licked, nipped and huffed, added fingers before entering him and filling him in such a way that he was knocked breathless.

Ford gripped his hips and slammed into him again and again, his teeth now breaking the skin as he held Jack immobile with the grip on the back of his neck and Jack's eyes rolled into the back of his head as he shot his cum over the artefacts on the lower shelf.

Ford stepped back and swore as he rubbed his hands over Jack's back and Jack moaned as he straightened up and turned to face him.

"Fuck. That was amazing, I mean …" his voice tapered off as he looked into the brilliant blue eyes blinking slowly as they transformed back to their normal shape.

"Wow" Jack whispered, "You're a … wolf? A lycanthrope?"

"Shit" Ford said shakily, "That was not supposed to happen."

"No shit Sherlock!" Jack snorted with anger, then felt it dissipate as Ianto's eyes widened.

"Sorry" Jack laughed, "Private joke in the crime world, your little brother is so well known. I didn't know how often I used it until now. Sorry."

"Well, I suppose he does come up now and then" Ford laughed shakily.

"You … We really need to talk about this" Jack said again.

"I'm not a werewolf" Ford said after a pregnant staring contest, "We … the rift brought our kind here. We hid amongst them …the werewolf world as best we could but even they feared us. We did not come alone."

"Bounty hunters?" Jack guessed.

"Sort of" Ford nodded, "Their orders were to seek and destroy. Our father took out five, then fell. My mother was wounded and I was left to protect my brothers as we hid in the bloody countryside. The three left hunting us thought she was dead and came after us."

"Was she?"

"No."

Ford's face showed closure to that question and Jack nodded as he accepted the polite shut down.

"You and your bothers took them down?"

"Lock was just a little pup so Crofty protected him as I attacked the first one. It gave them the confidence to take on a second one."

"And?"

"That's when …" Ford grimaced and Jack knew he wasn't going to like it.

"No more lies." One whispered, the other echoing it moment later.

"That's when Torchwood arrived and scooped up me and the last scout" Ford sighed, looking away.

"Wait, all that story about Mycroft getting you out of …. And needing to sell you because … lies?" Jack gaped, "Are you telling me you played me again?"

"Oops?"

"Ford? The story about the Chula …"

"True!" Ford grimaced and shrugged, opening his arms wide. "Only way they could contain me."

"A truth within a lie" Jack whispered, "The prefect way to make a lie more believable. Gods, you really did find a lot of my drunken rambling in the old files to play my weaknesses so well."

"How could I have known then" Ford said softly.

"Known what" Jack snapped as his temper flared.

"That you were from Boeshane but not of Boeshane. How could I have known that you are of Franklendish descent?" Ford said sadly, "Only now, only after we first coupled with me as alpha do I know you are compatible as a mate."

Jack looked up with shock as the reaction to Owen's jibe suddenly hit home.

Mate?


	12. who's who

Ford was moving fast, pulling up his trousers as he moved from the room with grace born to a predator.

Jack took a deep breath to steady himself, then calmly adjusted his own clothing and shakily checked his hair before sauntering back up to the hub.

Ianto was laughing softly as Owen gave a blow by blow commentary of two pigeons on the CCTV feed.

"Come on Glo, let's get over to the wharf" Owen said in a screechy voice" I hear it's all happening there!"

"Oh no" Owen gave his voice an even worse screech "I can't possibly Maude, you never wear white to a funeral!"

"Don't be silly" Owen used the first voice and even bobbed his head, making Ianto snort, then colour with a pretty blush, "Everyone else will be!"

"Owen!" Jack said as he stepped behind him and the girly scream echoed.

Ianto's eyes flared with true mirth and Jack saw Ford wink before turning away, least he be discovered.

"Owen" Jack repeated like nothing had happened and Owen swung, puffing himself up.

"Yeah?"

"Could I possibly have that report on the blowfish from last week?" Jack asked politely, "I wanted to check the bloods for any …"

"Different drugs" Tosh chimed in "I already thought of that. Seems this one died of a heart attack, third fish in two weeks to go belly up. So to speak."

Tosh grimaced at the terrible pun as Owen laughed.

"Good one Toots!" he said softly as he turned back to Ianto.

"Owen?" Ianto asked softly, "Can I watch the next one?"

"Blowfish autopsy?" Owen asked with surprise.

"Well, I see the bits when you're done and I have to shovel them into the flames but I am curious as your notes indicate that they change colour inside as they get rigor." Ianto canted his head.

"Yeah! Yeah, they do. A whole bloody rainbow in their organs" Owen enthused as he began then looked at Jack and rolled his eyes, "Maybe later Bud."

"Cool" Ianto smiled softly and Owen grinned as he tripped off.

"You don't really want to look do you?" Tosh grimaced.

"No, but he is fascinated. Writes lots about it, maybe if I look I will understand why he feels the need to explain in such detail" Ianto shrugged, "It means something to him and I want him to know that I show interest in his chosen things."

"like me with my algorithms?" Tosh asked.

"Yes, now I see the patterns in the numbers and rhythm in the concept, I understand your interests. You look at the bird in flight or a dripping tap and you see patterns. Not just a bird, or droplet of water." Ianto smiled, "You see the rhythm of life."

Tosh smiled openly as she nodded.

Jack saw the protective gleam on Ianto's eyes as he looked at a member of pack.

So Owen obviously was pack to Ianto, too.

Gwen?


	13. End of this ... beginning

The body looked pulverized and Jack grimaced as he squatted, trying to imagine what the victim once looked like.

Ianto stood nearby, talking with Andy who was animatedly showing how he thought the body had fallen.

Jack could practically feel Ford bursting to laugh at the antics of the blonde officer but the raised eyebrow was enough to encourage Andy.

Jack watched his new mate with mixed emotions.

Who would have thought that he might find someone that equalled his cheek, his moxie … gods, this one even rivalled his desire to break into spontaneous singing for no apparent reason, the first time such a surprise that he joined in.

If only the team could see that.

As if hearing this thoughts, Ianto turned on his heel and walked over, making a show of disgust for the mud and blood splattering the ground.

"Sir, I believe Andy has the answer" Ianto said softly as Owen stood to listen as well.

"Yeah?" Owen prompted.

"Well according to Officer Davidson … he fell."

Owen snorted, then grinned and looked at Jack with glee, "And you Ianto, ma … Bud? What do you think?"

"Well I might not know for sure Doctor Harper" Ianto cast a disdainful eye over the area and then looked down into Owen's eyes, "But I do not believe it was bird strike."

Owen brayed as he stomped over to Tosh to regale her with Ianto's humour and several Heddlu frowned, then looked away as Ianto's steely gaze caught each one.

Jack grinned to himself as he watched the final piece come into position.

Gwen slipped, as is her way and Ianto caught her.

As he straightened her up and accepted her thankful hug, Jack watched his hand come up to smooth her hair around her face.

Gwen's smile became softer as he bent and wiped a speck of mud from the toe of her boot with his crisp white handkerchief, then straightened up to return the smile.

Gwen was pack too.

Jack thought he might burst as he looked at his family. His father had held the family name in remembrance of their ancestral planet Franklindia, each second generation in the Peninsula did and it had sounded lovely tripping off his mate's lips.

Ianto/Ford was everything Jack loved, smooth, clever, deadly and intuitive.

Again, he seemed to hear Jack and turned to walk past, this time letting their hands brush and Jack felt a peace fall over the scene as Ianto calmly herded the troops.

The body was scooped up, the scene cleaned and Andy sent away with the promise of another flask of coffee.

As they strode to the SUV Ianto looked furtively to his left and Jack caught a slight tightening of his left hand hanging by his thigh, then it released to let the fingers splay against his leg.

Jack looked in the direction Ianto had and caught a flicker of movement.

A coat?

They drove towards the hub and in an uncharacteristic display, Ianto reached out and placed his hand over Jack's resting on the gear stick.

It was only for a moment, just long enough to feel the warmth, then it as withdrawn and Ianto's face cleared of the hidden annoyance.

The pack was safe.


	14. spoiler

"It is alright, I appreciate your concern but he is no threat to me" Ford purred, "He will never harm me. I do not think he would be so calm about you."

"It's HIM isn't it"

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**Part 3 is now up and running … come see who is playing the game, there are more players than first thought.**


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